Life Carries On
by WriTer1200
Summary: set two years after Todd wakes where he and viola are still trying to put everything back into place. - first draft and story so please bear with me - open to any feedback x
1. Chapter 1

**Set almost two years after todd wakes up on his fifteenth birthday when life is finally starting to come right for the two teenagers.**

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The sun is just starting to set when i arrive at the home, me, ben and viola share, tired from yet another long day rebuilding the town. You'd have thought that after two years the town would be all fixed up by now, but building a city takes a lot more work than that, ill tell you. ive found that me and viola dont spend as much time as i would have liked together during the days now either as shes working with the other mistresses in the still temporary house of healing while a bigger, better and more improved one is being built (unfortunately not by me) just down the road. we pass each other on a morning, but only briefly and the three of us spend the evenings together which mostly consist of tea made by ben and then bed. its all very structured, a hadbit i wanted to get away from by moving out of the city. that hasnt happened either, obviously. too much work to be done around here. at least thats what i tell myself and not thats its actaully because me and viola have only brushed past the topic in conversation and havent really done anything to set the plan in motion. every months theres a council meeting where the orgional council from the war, the main caretaker family and a few important people from violas ship meet in a large designated spackle tent to talk about things that dont interest me half of the time. there have also been a few more "parties" these past few months where all th families from the ship gather and play music ive never heard of and dance in the center of the square. i dont understand why they do it but viola likes to go, says it reminds her of the days she used to love with these people. she always seems to be happiest these things wheres shes surrounded by people from her past and doing things she grew up doing. she says that she doesnt miss her old life, whenever i question her about it, but i know its only because of her parents. if they were still here, viola would be a completely different person, and would probably nevr be living this life. sometimes i wonder if it would have been better off that way for her. she wouldnt have seen the things shes seen, wittnessed the horrific things she has. never had met me. of course she hears these thoughts and immediately shoots them down, telling me shes happy with her life as long as im by her side. and i know she knows i feel the same way. it still doesnt mean i see her as much. i had it in my head tha after the war we would get as far away from here as possible where we can life a live of peace and quiet for a change. looks like that plan is taking some time to become a reality.  
As i throw my keys onto the kitchen counter i notice a small note folded with my name on. ive gotten better at reading aswell over the last two years. im still not great but its better. i pick up the note (obviously recognising my name) and after a few tries i mange to read violas delicate handwriting. It says: _meet me by the stables at sunset ~ V x  
_ The sun is now low in the sky so i grab my coat and make my way down the small path leading to the stables. I wonder what she wants? And why didnt she just wait until we were both home? Maybe somethings wrong? Angharad? I quicken my pace. no. viola would wait to tell me about something like that with a mysterious note. When i get to the stables i find myself anxiously looking around for her.

"viola?" i call looking through the doors and then i see her, stood by angharad, storking her nose and feeding her the last apple from a bag shes clutching.

"viola" i say again calmer now ive seen her looking so relaxed. she turns to the sound of my voice looking almost confused at first but then smiles a warm smile.

"todd" she says in greeting which still manages to make my insides flutter the way they do when ever shes around.

"what are we doing here?" i ask making my way over to her, also feeling a small smile make its way upon my lips.

"what do you mean?" she asks moving away from angharad and meeting me in the middle where i get the familiar sensation torap my arms around her, something she clearly sees in my noise and i try cover it, as usual.

"you dont remember?" she asks trying to hide her growing smile. i just shake my head trying to hide the embarrassing confusion in my noise and on my face. her smile softens.

"Happy Birthday Todd"


	2. Chapter 2

"how did you remember?" i ask feeling fairly stupid .

"how could i forget?" she says lightly with a little laugh. how could _i_ forget?

"all that counting" she jokes yet my mind still reals back to when we first met and how eager i was to grow up.

"but why now? we didnt do anything last year" i say and her smile drops the slightest bit

"well things were a little hectic last year. i wanted to but i just didn't get the time" she says, clearly noticing the fact that we havent been spending too much time together.

"tell me about it" i say looking down trying hard to keep my noise flat.

"anyway" viola says shaking her head, her familiar warm smile back. "i have something planned just for the two of us"

"what?" i say and i can feel myself smiling at the thought of some alone time with viola finally.

"well come with me and youll find out" she says taking my hand and leading me out of the stable doors.

"were not going on angharad?" i ask trying to figure out where shes taking me.

"no i just wanted to give her some apples" she says simply which makes me smile even more. viola leads me right to the edge of town to a small cluster of trees and straight through them. we carry on going all the way to the rivers edge where i see a small blanket laid out with a basket.

"whats this?" i ask as she sits on the blanket near the waters edge and i sit next to her, looking across the river.

"ben sorted it all. said he thought we should have some time to our selves" she says shrugging and picking up the basket.

"its beautiful here" i say taking in our surrounding as viola unloads what evers in the basket. it appears to be sandwiches.

"isnt it" she says grinning at me and handing me a sandwich. "i didnt even know it was here."

"i walk past it a few times but never think to go inisde" isay still looking high above us into the tree tops where birds sing and flutter around.

"i dont get to see anythong other than whats outside the windows at the house of healing. same view every day for two years" she says sighing.

"itll be over soon" i say partly without meaning to and she looks at me with a questioning look. i dont say anything more in fear of her chnaging her mind soi just eat my sandwich and she does the same.

"ive missed you" viola sighs quietly but i know exactly how he feels. "we've both been so busy we haven't had any time to our selves since he war"

"weve got now" i say with a shurg and she smiles.

"yeah" she says and i feel myself smiling back.

"im glad" i admit

"me too" she says and i see her hand so close to mine and i just have to take it in my own so i do and viola twists our fingers together and we both shit there staring at our intertwined hands, my heart beating fast and faster and a thought comes to mind, something i havent thought of doing but have thought about every day for two years and i know viola sees it in my noise from the first time but we carry on staring at our hands.

"Todd..." she starts to say but i cut her off by pressing my lips to hers. its the first time in a long time but it feels just as good, deep down in the pit of my stomach theres a fluttering that rises and spreads through me right to the tips of my fingers. viola presses into it more and i feel it slightly leading towards something more, something that im not sure if its good or bad but something i think i want just the same. i press back, making my way onto my knees and viola does the same until our bodys are pressed together and i wrap my arms around her somehow pulling her closer, never letting out lips part. i feel her hand on the back of my neck like when she first kissed me and im only dimly aware of her other hand pulling at my top because it viola viola viola and my noise is pouring with my love for her, the way i havent seen her properly in so long, where this may lead and the way i kinda want it to and i pull back too quick suddenly scared of what viola may want too. she looks at me confused for a moment, her delicate finger tips touching my check and slowly trailing to my jaw as we both catch our breaths and her eyes are darting all over my face and i can tell shes reading me.

"viola, im sorry, i didnt know..." i start but im so embarassed and confused and dizzy and loved up that i cant get a single word out right but she just shakes her head and smiles sligh

"its okay todd, i wanted to too" she says quietly and i see in the way shes holding her self close to me, the way her hands touch me, in the way she was pulling at me that she means it and i suddenly feel so stupid, so much so that i want to pull away and give viola the chance to be with someone who will go that extra mile and wont stop because hes slightly scared. but i dont because i also want to be with her, and do it all with her so much so that im selfish enough to take all her chances she could have with other people and keep them all for myself only to never use them.

"no todd" viola says shaking her head and i realise that i was so wrapped up in feeling stupid that i forgot to even try and cover up my noise.

"i want you, only you and all of you" she says so softly it gives me a strong urge to kiss her again.

"i want you too" i say so quietly im not sure she even heard it but my noise hums it loud and clear and out in the open and all she does is slightly nods her head and kisses me.

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 **Sooooo im guessing you could have guessed what todd was thinking about the whole time (winky winky face) and if not then im guessing youre too young or just dont jump to the dirty mindedness like i do but oh well if not im sure youll figure it out later on in the story.**

 **i have quite alot of ideas for this story but its very jumpy so youll have to bare with me on this one as it is my first draft and first story. id also like to try a lil collaboration later on in the story so just pm me if youre interested or just want me to ad any crazy (or not so crazy) ideas to it and ill try my best!**

 **if you like it and want to see more keep commenting, liking, favoring which evs it is and tell me man! love a good bit of feedback i do!**

 **okay im done now for a few chapters.**

 **goodbye friends! - (hopefully friends and not people who actually hate me)**


	3. Chapter 3

Me and viola lay side by side on the blanket with her head resting on my shoulder and the other half of the blanket we once sat on folded over us. Violas casually playing with my hand, twisting her fingers in and around mine in a calming way, her breathing even against my bare arm. i play with her hair with her hand she isnt occupying and watch the last of the sun go down behind the water. i let my mind wonder to the time we just spent together and the kind of closeness we shared and how id give anything to feel that way again, with viola and viola only. maybe we're wrong to do such things together. i dont even think we're old enough. not that new world really focus' on ages and limits but i know most of the settlers do and that its likely theyll 'frown upon it' as viola would say. it still doesnt stop it from being amazing. i feel viola smile, from obviously reading my noise, and she turns to press a small kiss on my shoulder.

"todd, that was..." she starts but i can tell she doesnt know how to finish.

"yeah i know" i say back shifting my head so its resting on hers. "i wish we could just stay here"

"you have no idea how much i wish that was possible" viola says sitting up on one elbow and wrapping the blanket around her. she looks down at me with her small smile, her hair no longer in its pulled back style she usually wears it in but hanging in waves at the sides of her head and very ruffled. although im expecting mine to look pretty much the same. i reach up and took her hair behind her ear but i also end up resting my hand on her soft check where she places her hand on top and turns into slightly almost as if for comfort and closes her eyes.

"happy birthday todd" she sighs rubbing her thumb across my knuckles.

"fifteen" i whistle and she opens her eyes smiling again.

"how manly" she says taking hold of my hand and placing it on my chest. "but, unfortunately, manly men are needed in the world". After double checking theres no one around she quickly gets up and colloects her clothes that are scattered around on the floor. i sit up and rub my eyes picking up my underwear and slipping them on just as viola does. as im pulling on my top i hear a spot of noise and immediately jump up next to viola, consciously grabbing something she can over herself with. it gets cloer quickly and viola hear it too, stoppong the search for her clothes.

"viola? todd?" i hear yelled far too close and i know its Bradley, based on his noise and his voice.

"Bradley!"viola says suprised and starts looking for her clothes alot quicker, gesturing for me to do the same. i have a feeling bradley wouldnt be too happy if he found out about me and viola so i try to cover it as best i can in my noise which is hard.

"viola" bradley says just a few trees away now and making his way towards us as i pull my jeans on but violas still looking frantically round for her top. "what the hell have you been doing out here?"

"well we're...just...i um... close your eyes" she says just as he steps out from a tree, his eyes already closed tight shut. i cant see her top anywhere so i slip mine off and hand it to her, my eyes lingering on her scar for just a second but its enough the bring the memories rushing back, which i use to cover up the past few hours. viola shoots me a grateful look and pulls it over her head as it falls to just below her bum.

"okay, you can... um" she says trying to flatten her hair down and bradley opens his eyes looking at us cautiously.

"whats going on here?" he asks taking in my now toplessness and viola wearing my top and her messy hair. Viola smiles a nervous smile and i try to focus on anything and everything around us, from the very note of each birds song to the tiniest twig on the floor.

"we, er, went swimming" she says, obviously trying to think of a reason for why we had to get dressed.

"swimming?" he says slightly unconvinced.

"yeah todd has been teaching me" she says glancing my way and i try to come up with pictures of me and viola swimming, me teaching her the basics ben taught me as a child, letting those memories come through willingly as more cover. it seems to convince bradley, who just nods.

"well youll have to show me one time" he says and violas lips curl trying not to give anything away herself. "ben sent me to come get you. said you have to sort yourselves out for tonight"

"tonight?" i ask looking at viola bitting her lip.

"id forgotten about tonight" she says she says looking slightly guiltly and i know why. we would hav spent all night here if we could have and missed what ever it is thats happening tonight.

"yes well you better get a move on then" bradley says surpressing a laugh. viola grabs the blanket and i grab the basket, throwing all our rubbish into it, then following viola and bradley out of the woods. me and viola dont talk the whole way back in fear of giving something away but i can tell by the look on her face that shes trying not to smile, and keeps turning her lips in to stop her from laughing.

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apprently the thing tonight is an announcement made but bradley and the sky, another way to show our unity. personally i couldnt care less about what he has to say, no offence to him, i just want to spend some more time with Viola. she seems to want to go though, its really one of the only times she gets to see the majority of the people she grew up with, which i understand. me and Viola walks side by side into the square where many have already gathered, laughing and dinking things to lift the spirits. Ben walks with us but something requires his attention almost immediatly leaving just us walking into the crowd. we dont talk much as im still focusing on keeping my noise free og he time we spent together as im not sure many people would be too happy to hear or ee anything to do with it. we see lee and make our way over to him, viola taking his arm to let him know we are here. thank fully he can see through everyone elses noise so he doesnt need any help from mine.

"hi lee" viola says with a smile and even though he cant see her he begins to think about how beautiful she is, which makes her involantaryly rise up in my noise. i know viola notices as her cheeks turn a soft shade of red and she looks down, and my noise folds in on itself once more befre i reveal anything i dont want to. lee has a confused look on his face but lets the matter slide, still thinking of her.

"why are we here?" he asks making things feel less awkward.

"i dont know, neither Bradley or Ben would tell us" viola answers looking around for either of them.

"they say its some kind of announcement" i say shurgging also looking up to the make-shift stage just as bradley and the sky walk out.

"if i may have your attention" bradley speaks into the microphone casing his vioce to echo across the square. the sky uses his noise to communicate with the spackle who have congrigated on the outside of the crowd, still looking weary to come too close to us. the noise dies down and all eyes are on bradley as he finally tells us what weve been waiting to know.

"at the last counsil meeting we came upon a decision" he says and me and viola look at each other confused.

"this afternoon" she says remembering "i totally loast track of time"

"doing what?" lee asks but neither of us answer as bradley starts talking again.

"we decided that our town is begining to get a litle too crowded. so, starting in a few months time we think we should all start to migrate outwards and join the previous settlements along the way, as well as starting new ones. men and spackle alike, living peacefully together." he explains and me and viola look at each other again, but this time with a similar worried expression. "parties of every able bodied men will go out to prepare for this as soon as possible, before we begin the full migration. the will determine which settlements are safe and functional and which ones are not. the trips out will be a maxium of two months away so think carefully. if as many able bodied men as possible can come to the town hall to sign up to the job with in a weeks time, we can get this up and running as fast as possible. thank you"

"well ill definetly go" lee says and viola looks down.

"lee youre not able bodied..."

"well tecnically i am" he says with a slight note of sarcasm in his noise.

"you know thats not what i mean. weve been out there, seen and heard somethings that shouldnt be there in a time of war, that could still be there now. it wouldnt be safe for you to go, no way" viola says shaking her head violently. shes right, there were some crazy things out there, things such as poverty and settlements which arent exactly too sane, things we saw on our way to save one another.

"what makes you think you have a say in it?" he asks joking but viola just sighs and shakes her head once more.

"im going to go say hi to a few people" viola says to me with a small forced smile and i just nod letting her know i dont mind at she smiles back for real. she walksof into the crowd of people and straight towards a fairly large group of people about our age who im guessin were her friends from the ship. me and lee watch her go until shes put of sight then lee turn to me, or more directs his noise to me.

"shes really not going to let me go is she" he says almost laughing but with a serious note.

"shes right lee there you dont know what could be out there. especially now" i say trying to avoid what i know is coming.

"are you going?" he asks half curious, half picking.

"ill have to" i say sighing and looking down. "how will it look if i dont?"

"yeah our very own saviour not joining the men on the dangerous journey to further better mankind" he says with a touch of sarcasm. alothough, hes not wrong. "well good luck trying to persuade Viola into thinking thats a good idea. if she didnt want me going, she definitely wouldn't want you going"

"lee..." i start saying because i know where hes heading with this but he cuts me off.

"youre lucky you know. to have someone love you as much as she does" he says and i cant help but feel guilty about considering going on this trip .

"she loves you too lee" i say to him becuase its all i can think to say and i know its true.

"not like that" he says with a little laugh as we both look over to viola looking back at me and not lee, smiling as she dances with her fiends to the music thats started playing thorugh the speakers, music ive never heard of as always. i dont really know how to reply so i dont and again we both just stand watching Viola look so care free and relaxed. i smile at her and her smile just broadens then she laughs at something her friend says in her ear. i noticer her say something back then she sarts making er way back through the crowd to us.

"im going to go talk to some of the settlers" lee says and walks off before i can even say anything and just a viola reaches us. she looks at him confused for a moment but refrains from saying anything.

"i think we should go home its getting quite late"

"are you sure? you looked like you were having fun" i say

"i was but id just much prefer to go to bed like usual" she says sighing and i nod as we make our way back home in silence.

"viola i..." i start as we walk through the door and viola carries on walking straight into the kitchen, not stopping as she cuts me off.

"Todd i know what you're going to say" she says and i follow her, where she stands leaning against the island in the middle of the kitchen. "i cant stop you from going"

"if you seriously didnt want me to do it then i wouldnt" i say making my way to her and leaning on the bar too.

"no go"she sighs looking at me and i know she means it "it makes sense for you to go, i know that"

"ill be okay" i try to say reassuringly but my noise shows something different.

"two months is a long time todd" she says looking to the ground.

"it doesnt matter" i say taking her upper arms and turning her towards me. "i ain't ever leaving you remember? not even in my head"

"i know" she says smiling. she reaches up and kisses me gently and of course i kiss her back, something which is becoming a lot more common for us and less surprising but still has the same effect on me. it doesnt last long however as we hear the door open and we both jump back just as ben also wlaks into the kitchen. we both stand there slightly awkwardly, viola biting her lip and looking to the ground trying not to laugh again and me trying to clear my noise.

"you two alright here?" he asks with a small smirk.

"yep" viola answers running a hand throuh her hair and ben just nods slowly, letting the seconds go by in awkwardness.

"well im, er, going to go to bed" i say nodding to bed then walking out.

"yeah me too" i hear viola say and she follows me out quickly. i hear ben laugh in the kitchen and his noise fills with us two and what just happened. i hear viola start to laugh too which also makes me laugh slightly.


End file.
